After Joyce
by Xeelia
Summary: After Joyce’s death Ben was killed so no more Glory. Spike still helped Dawn get the stuff for her spell. Angel decided to spend the night at the Summer’s home instead of heading back to LA. Spike and Dawn deal with the ramifications of bring back Joyce
1. After Joyce

After Joyce's death Ben was killed so no more Glory

After Joyce's death Ben was killed so no more Glory. Spike still helped Dawn get the stuff for her spell. Angel decided to spend the night at the Summer's home instead of heading back to LA.

Dawn ran down the stairs when she heard the door bell, excitement and joy filling her small frame. "I worked!!" She shouted in her head. She opened the door to see her mother. "Mommy!" Dawn yelled a huge grin on her face.

Joyce seemed to look at her youngest daughter in confusion, then disgust. "YOU are the THING those monks sent. You are a made up lie. Where is my real daughter?"

"B-b-buffy is out patrolling. B-but you told me I was your daughter now, no matter what! I love you mommy!" Dawn began crying.

"You are evil, a gross creation, not human, you need to die!" With that Joyce grabbed Dawn by the throat and threw her out into the yard. "Who would ever love YOU? Unnatural thing!! You aren't worthy of being called daughter!! You aren't worthy of excisting!!"

Angel and Buffy came around the corner just in time to see Joyce charge Dawn. "DAWN!" Buffy screamed.

Buffy's scream was just enough of a distraction for Dawn to use the few skills she had to kick her mother's possessed corpse off of her. "I am sooo sorry Mommy." She then pulled the picture of her mother out of her pocket with shaking hands and tore it in half. The corpse collapsed on the ground then seemed to shimmer before disappearing. Dawn looked down at where her mother had been and wept.

"Dawn what did you do?!" Screamed Buffy.

"How could you do this Dawnie!" Angel came closer.

Buffy fell to the ground hysterically crying. "Angel, she brought mom back and then she killed her, how could she?" Buffy turned to where her mother's corpse had disappeared. "Mommy…"

Angel grabbed Dawn and began shaking her, in his anger he vamped. "What did you think would happen? Huh, little girl? The dead don't come back right! Look what you have done to your sister!!"

"I just wanted my mom back, I need her!" Dawn's voice shook from emotion and the pain in her arms where Angel was gripping her.

"Dawn this is black magic! Do you want to be evil? Is that it? Spending too much time with Spike?" Buffy looked up at her sister. "How could you do something this selfish? What you did is the worst kind of bad!!"

Angel threw Dawn to the ground and gathered up a shaking and near hysterical Buffy. Dawn spoke quietly, "It has nothing to do with Spike."

Dawn was terrified. She got up and ran. She wasn't paying attention to where she was going she was just running. Running away from what she had done, running away from Angel, and running away from her sister.

After a while she realized she had run right to Spike's crypt. She was about to turn around and leave when he open the door. He looked at her tear stained face and quickly gathered her up in his arms. "I'm sorry Platelet."

Suddenly pain shot into Spike's brain. "What the bloody hell! I wasn't hurting you was I?" Concern rippled from him, a hug shouldn't have hurt her.

"I think Angel bruised my arms when he grabbed me, even my shirt rubbing against the skin hurts." Dawn looked down on the ground tears still streaming down her face. "Sorry it hurt you. I can't do anything right!!"

"Angel? Why the bloody hell did he do that for?" Spike was incensed. No one hurts his Nibblet, well except him, possibly, when she got older.

"Mom came back, but she was wrong and Angel and Buffy saw. They saw me rip the picture too. She, she was so mean! And Buffy and Angel told me I was stupid and Buffy said it was black magic and asked if I was trying to be evil and Angel threw me down and went into the house with Buffy. S-so I just ran, I didn't mean to come here I just ran!" Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Bollocks! What the hell do they know. You aren't evil Bit, and they had no right to treat you like that!"

"M-m-mommy said I was useless and disgusting and evil and a thing then Buffy said I was trying to be evil. Then she tried to blame you. I told it had nothing to do with you. I'm just a problem for everyone, no point to me except to destroy the world!" Dawn was hyperventilating at this point and Spike came back over and rapped her in another hug, avoiding her bruised arms.

"You aren't evil Bit, you are just a pawn in this bullshit. Those fucked up monks created you but they didn't think of what they were doing. Putting all this pressure on a human girl, it's worse than what the Slayers have to deal with. You lost your mum, whether or not she was your mum doesn't matter, your memories say she was. You wanted her back, and I helped you with that, this is my fault little luv, not yours." He gently cupped her chin and thought of the horrendous mistake he had made twice now, trying to give life to dead or dying mothers.

"Don't say that! If Angel or Buffy find out you helped they will kill you!!" Dawn was suddenly terrified of loosing the one person she trusted. "Spike you're my only real friend, I can't loose you too!!"

Spike was taken aback but to know that this precious human girl thought that much of him boosted his ego. "You won't Bit, you won't."

"She won't what Spike?" Came Angel's booming voice.

"She won't loose me, Peaches, and what the hell did you do to the kid's arms?" Spike growled.

"I didn't mean to, Buffy was hysterical, Dawn brought their mother back. Buffy had to watch her break the spell!"

"And what you thought it would be easy on Bit to do that? You thought terrorizing her was a good plan? Maybe Angelus is a little closer to the surface than you say. Sod off Peaches she is staying here for the night!" Spike growled.

"Look Spike this has nothing to do with you! The girl is going home and face her sister, she owes Buffy an explanation!" Angel began to stalk forward but stopped for a moment seeing this frail girl clinging to his Childe. The girl was murmuring into Spike's chest, "I'm no good." Over and over.

"She is no state to deal with a brassed off, hysterical Slayer. She. Is. Not. Leaving." Spike had vamped and was now growling deeply. "As for why she did it, she missed her mum! Don't be daft!"

"How did you know what do to Dawnie? Where did you get the information to do it?" Angel tried to keep his voice calm.

"Willow showed me the book. She, she magicked it off the shelf so I would find it, I just wanted my mom!" Dawn was near hysterics again.

"Good enough, now you are coming back to the house, come on! Now!"

"OK" Dawn answered with her head down. She slowly disentangled herself from Spike. "Thank you Spike."

"Peaches you hurt her again and I will stake you, that's a promise." Spike growled, then returning to human guise, "Don't you worry Bit you ever need me you know where I am."

With that Angel led the girl away. Spike waited until they were out of sight and took an alternate path to the Summer's home.

"Buffy I found her!" Angel called as they walked into the house. Dawn walked solemnly behind him.

"DAWN! Where were you? You can't just run away from your problems!! I know you are young and I know you aren't that strong, but you can't just try to use magic to fix things you don't like! Mom's dead, twice now! You have to stop acting like a five year old!!" Buffy rambled when she saw Dawn.

Dawn just stood there, all tears having fallen already. She was hopeless and broken and hurt far too deeply for her sister's words to make it worse.

"Angel and I are going patrolling. I want you in bed missy!! Tomorrow you are leaving with Angel and going to LA. You will be safer there and I think that Angel will be able to control you better than I can." Buffy left no room for argument. She was shipping Dawn off, getting rid of her just like Dawn always knew she would.

Dawn climbed the stairs to her room shaking. She was going to go live with Angel? She was terrified. She was deep in thought about this as she opened her bedroom door and saw Spike sitting on her bed.

"Did you hear?" She asked him. Her voice was so flat that it sent chills up Spike's back.

"Hear what Bit? I popped in the window just before you came in."

"Buffy is sending me to LA."

"Well maybe living with your father will be good for ya." Spike moved to the window and lit up a smoke. He didn't like the idea of the Bit living with that wanker but it was better than the Slayer given the Slayer's state of mind lately.

"Not going to live with my father, she is sending me to live with Angel." Dawn voice wavered a bit, like she couldn't really believe her sister would do this to her. "She, she said that she couldn't handle me and he c-could."

Spike shuddered involuntarily. The thought of this delicate girl living with Angel was disturbing and he wouldn't wish that on anyone, even Harris. Being the impulsive vamp he was Spike decided he would give the girl an out. "If you don't want to go with him tell me, I will take you out of the country Pidge, I'll take care of you. But it is your choice, either way looks like you are going to be leaving Sunnyhell and becoming the charge of a vampire. So you want to go with Champion, soul having, bad haired Angel, or you wanna go with Big Bad me Bit?" Spike smirked and raised an eyebrow.

He watched as she looked at him stunned. He knows it isn't fair, she should be with her family, but big sis is sending her away anyway. He is curious to see if she will defy her sister, and Angel, for that matter, and leave with him. He would take care of her, teach her lots of useful things, make sure she was always safe. "I can't promise sunshine and trips to the mall Bit but I can promise you will be safe."

"Well if I have to choose between Angel and you, I will always pick you Spike, if you mean it. My stuff is already packed, Buffy was sending me away tomorrow with Angel. She already packed my bags." Dawn looked up at her best friend hopefully.

"Well then Bit let's go, we can take the sewers to the crypt gather my stuff and then take the sewers back over to Willy's to grab blood. The DeSoto is parked outside of Willy's." With that Spike grabbed the two duffle bags he spotted on the floor and hopped out the window. He looked up expectantly. Dawn climbed down and they both headed for the sewers and a new life.

Angel walked into the house and immediately realized no one was there. Buffy was still shaken from the mother incident but realized that Angel sensed something. "What's wrong Angel?"

"She's gone again. The house is empty." Angel growled lowly. He was in Dawn's room in a flash. He could smell one thing above all others in the room "Spike."


	2. New York Dolls

Spike had no problem getting him and his Bit out of Sunnyhell

Spike had no problem getting him and his Bit out of Sunnyhell. He had quite a bit of money stashed away. His first thought had been to go to South America but he knew that since it was his first thought it was exactly what they would expect. So they ended up going to New York City.

Spike knew his way around the city pretty well, having had lived there in the seventies. The first thing Spike did was deposit Dawn at a hotel and head for the New York offices of Wolfram & Hart. He knew that they would fix his head if he offered to do some dirty work for them, he had talked to someone from the LA office in Sunnydale weeks earlier. All he had to do was knock off a couple of midgrade government guys.

Dawn slept while Spike was gone, which was good because when Spike returned he was bouncing off the walls

"Nibblet wake up!! So much to do!!" Spike yelled as he bounced into the room.

"Mmph, Spike I was sleeping! What do we have to do?" Dawn looked over at the clock, it read nine at night. "Hmm guess I should get up I slept like fifteen hours!!"

Spike tossed a bag to Dawn. Inside she found a new outfit.

"Go shower and put that on!! I'm taking you dancin' pet!"

Dawn shuffled into the bath room, grabbing a pair of undies and a bra and took her shower. After she had dried herself off she got out the new clothes Spike had given her. First she put on the fishnet top, then the black t-shirt with a Hello Kitty outline done in red, the pants were black cargo pants that stopped mid-calf and the belt in the bad was black leather with red rhinestones. Looking in the mirror Dawn thought she looked a bit older and totally cool.

"Bit don't do your make up I wanna do it!! Now hurry up!!" Spike called from the other room. "Oh! I got you some boots too, not those…"

Before Spike finished what he was saying Dawn walked out of the bathroom. "Not those what? And why are you staring?"

Spike just smirked. "You look just as adorable as I knew you would pet, that's all. Here the boots are steel toed none of that frilly crap, can't run in that kind of thing. Now put those on and c'mere so I can do your make up."

Dawn slipped the boots on, she wondered if he had seen her at the mall with Buffy a few months ago when she had tried to get Buffy to buy these boots for her. They looked like black work boots and had shiny steel covers over the toes as well. Dawn only laced them to the ankle.

Spike smiled. He had known she wanted those boots. He also knew she had wanted the outfit. He had seen her and her sister at the mall many times. He had been following Buffy and ironically it was these mall trips that had started to kill his obsession for her. He had watched silently as Buffy admonished Dawn's choices in everything. He saw the way Buffy completely disregarded the things Dawn wanted and his heart had ached. Dawn was the first and only person to ever truly like him and been nice to him, she was his friend, and to watch her self esteem being bashed by her sister was physically painful. If he hadn't had the chip at the time he may very well have killed the Slayer for doing that to his Nibblet.

"OK Bit open your eyes really wide." Dawn did as he asked and he deftly lined her eyes in kohl and applied deep black mascara. When her eyes were to his approval he smeared dark red lipstick on her full mouth. He smirked at his girl and winked. "All done Bit go look."

Dawn looked in the mirror and was stunned, she looked like a vamp, which was just funny, but she looked HOT. "Wow." Was all she could say.

"Come do my eyes will ya luv?" Spike asked.

Dawn applied the Kohl and watched Spike's cerulean eyes sparkle. "So ya got the chip out, huh?" She asked gazed at him a slight smirk on her face.

"How'd you know pet? I was going to surprise you by man handling the first git who tried to touch you." Spike slightly frowned.

"Oh come on Spike! I haven't seen you this bouncy since Parent Teacher night when you tried to kill Buffy for the first time. It was the only time I saw you pre-chip so it just made sense that the reason you were so bouncy was 'cause the chip was out. You gonna kill me Spike?" Dawn pouted and fluttered her azure eyes.

Spike looked terrified for a second. He gripped each side of Dawn's face. "It never crossed my mind Pidge, hell it didn't cross my mind on Parent Teacher night either. You have always had something special about you, I never even want to see you cry baby, couldn't hurt you like that."

Dawn wrapped Spike in a tight hug. "So where are we going?" Dawn grinned at her protector.

"It's an underground club. A bit racy though, hmm, actually probably shouldn't take you there." Spike was suddenly unsure.

"Spike, I think I have seen enough at Willy's and in those movies you weren't supposed to let me see, I think it will be fun."

Spike thought back to the movies in question: Basic Instinct, Showgirls, Bound, Devil's Regects, Requiem for a Dream. Yeah maybe she was right and besides he really wanted to take her to the club.

"Right, good point. But first we are going to get your hair dyed, got to try and change your looks so big sis and her poofy puppy don't have anything to track with. So Bit what color you want?" Spike grinned.

"Well how about black with blood red streaks, I saw a girl on TV with hers like that and it looked really cool." Dawn was so excited she was bouncing now.

"Whatever you want baby girl." Spike grabbed his duster and a black leather half coat he had nicked for Dawn, she didn't need to know that it's previous owner was his first meal of the night. He slipped his duster on and threw the other coat to Dawn as they left the room.

Two hours later Dawn walked out of the beautician's with her long brown hair freshly dyed exactly like she wanted and with the addition of long bangs that rested just above her eyes.

Spike scooped her up and swung her around. "You look fab baby girl!! Gonna tear that club up!!" He took off at a quick pace leading her by the hand.

The doorman at the club took no notice of the fifteen year old as he took the fifty dollar bill Spike passed him. The club was definitely hopping. Men and women in all sorts of combinations were groping each other everywhere. Spike lead her to the bar and ordered a beer for himself.

"You want a girlie drink Bit?" Spike smirked. He had shared his whiskey with her on a few occasions and knew that unlike her sister Bit was able to hold her booze. Even so he thought she might want something sweet and girlie.

"Nah, can I get a whiskey and coke though?"

Spike ordered the drinks then lead Dawn to a corner couch. They sat for a few minutes just drinking their drinks before Spike told Dawn to go dance, he could see how much she wanted to. As she danced her body moved much more gracefully than he would have suspected. She looked like a dark faerie, long hair flowing and innocent joy on her pretty face. He suddenly wondered if she would be so happy if she knew he was here hunting, but pushed the thought out of his head. Unless she asked he wasn't going to tell her what he was up to, but if she did ask he would tell, he would never outright lie to his Bit, anyone else sure, but never her.

The girl that caught Spike's eye was in her early twenties, blonde and dressed in hardly more that a scrap of fabric. He slid onto the dance floor and smirked at her. The girl looked over at him and grinned sexily. They danced slowly for a while, Spike's hands caressing her flesh. "Wanna get outta here sexy." The girl whispered to him, he could smell not only booze but cum on her breath. Spike nodded and lead her to the back of the club. Once they were far enough back to be unnoticed Spike grabbed the girl and went into game face. He had drained her before she could even scream. "Happy Meals on legs!" He laughed,

As he walked back to where Dawn had been dancing he noticed she was not dancing by herself any more. The guy, a human, looked like a farm fed soldier boy, a bit like Riley really, this annoyed Spike but his annoyance turned to anger when he saw the wannabe Riley "accidently" slide his hand over Dawn's ass.

"Time to go Pidge." Spike was next to Dawn now.

"Hey man why don't you just go fuck off, I found her first." The farm boy said.

Dawn laughed, almost maniacly. "Seriously? You think I am going to stay here with you? Not the sharpest nail in the box are you?" With that she turned to leave with Spike.

They had gone half way down the block towards another club when the farm boy caught up with them. "Hey you little cock tease!! You can't just trot off like that! You need to finish what you started little girl!" He tried to grab Dawn's arm.

In an instant Spike had the man by the throat. "You really, really shouldn't have done that!" Spike slowly dug his nails into the boy's thoat. "Bet you treat lots of girls like this don't ya? Think that if they smile at you that you have the right to fuck 'em? Don't think you will be doing that ever again." With that Spike deftly snapped his neck before draining him.

Dawn just stood there staring. She felt bad for the guy but also somewhere inside her she felt the guy deserved it. Spike was right, of course, if this guy pulled this shit on her he had likely done it in the past to other girls who didn't have a vampire protector. Watching Spike drain the guy gave her chills but she really didn't have any guilt about this guy's death, which kind of bothered her.

Spike was so caught up in the gush of blood he didn't even remember Dawn was with him at first. As the realization hit he threw the body away from himself and turned to look at her. He was terrified that he would see disgust or hatred on her beautiful innocent face. What he saw was enthrallment and confusion.

"Spike, why don't I feel bad? I should, I mean he was a creep but still…"

"Don't rightly know pet, but I can tell you that bloke was evil, can taste it in the blood. No matter what your silly sister thinks Bit there are humans who are worse than any demon. Besides I told you before, nothing is going to hurt you." As he spoke Spike ran his hand through he newly black hair.

Dawn was still confused but just glad Spike had saved her from this possible threat. She walked up closer to Spike and hugged him tight then looked up to and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for being my dark prince charming!" She giggle and bounced down the side walk. "Now, come on!! We still have a few hours to explore!!"

Spike was stunned yet again. Not only was Dawn being extremely accepting, probably deluding herself, but she had said something he had only heard from one other person. Dark Prince Charming, it was an endearment Drusilla had used. As Spike watched Dawn twirl and giggle down the sidewalk he mentally remarked on the similarities between his Bit and Drusilla. Her giggle was like soft bells very much like Dru's, her blue eyes sparkled in the street lights, pupils dilated, so very much like his Dru. Her eagerness to not go back to the hotel but to explore the city was much as Dru's had been when they had first arrived here decades before. When Dawn turned to speak to him the words she said stopped him cold.

"Hehe, Spike! You have stars in your pretty blue eyes!!"

Dru always spoke of stars. Something inside him began to ache. Why if this girl was made up of Buffy does she remind him so very much of Drusilla?

"SPIIIIKE! Come on lets go have some fun!!" Dawn smiled big and bright and it was the first time since before her mom got sick that he had seen her really smile like that. As they bounced down the sidewalk Spike decided everything would be OK as long as he could see her smile like that.

Back in Sunnydale

"Angel she has been gone for days!! What if he killed her? What if he turned her? Oh god Angel, this can't be happening!!" Buffy was highly upset, to say the least.

"Buffy, Spike has that chip in his head, he can't hurt Dawn and I really don't think he would. He has always taken care of her, even before the chip, you know that. Hell, he hid her from all the minions on Parent Teacher night so that nothing would happen to her. She was upset about moving to LA with Angel, she took off with Spike and sooner or later she will want to come home and he will bring her home." Willow tried reasoning with her best friend.

"Spike is dangerous and we are doing everything we can to find her Buffy. I promise you Spike will regret this." Angel turned to Willow. "Why aren't the locater spells working?"

"Dawn may be wearing something that is blocking them or have a spell on her to block them…" Buffy cut in then.

"Or Dawn could be dead or undead, in which case the spell Willow is using won't work." Buffy was in tears yet again when the phone rang.

Angel answered it. "Hello, Summer's residence."

"Put my sister on, now." Dawn's calm level voice came over the phone.

"Buffy, it's Dawn." Angel handed Buffy the phone.

"Dawn!! Where are you? Are you OK? We will come get you!!" Buffy's voice was full of relief.

"Yeah I am thinking, no on that offer Buff, but I wanted you to know I am ok, oh and go ahead and track this call if you want, we are leaving tonight. Spike won't let anything happen to me Buffy, please just live your life, you deserve it, and I won't come back. I love you Buffy." The click announced Dawn had hung up. Buffy was shocked.

As Buffy hung up the phone Angel spoke up. "I could hear her heart beat through the phone Buffy, she is alive."

"The call came from New York City." Willow informed them.

"It doesn't matter, she said they are leaving where they are tonight. She says she won't come home. When I find them I am going to dust Spike, period." The icy anger in Buffy's voice chilled even Angel's blood.

It wasn't long after that Buffy, Angel, and Giles all got reports that seemed to talk about Dawn and/or Spike. At first they were mere sightings but eventually they realized that the areas that there were sightings of Spike there were also bodies, bodies with one thing in common, they had twin punctures on their necks. For Buffy, knowing that her baby sister was not only traumatized by their mother's death, but also her and Angel's actions, and in the hands of William the Bloody, unchipped, her quest was that much more important.


	3. London Calling

After Joyce, London Calling

Title: London Calling, After Joyce part 3  
Author: Xeelia  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Spike/Dawn Angel/Buffy  
Disclaimer: I own no characters in this story!!  
Summery: Spike is back in London, his home turf, with his Bit, and things are about to change for them both.

After Joyce, London Calling

Dawn was bopping around the apartment happily to the radio. Spike would be home soon and she wanted everything neat and orderly so he would take her out dancing tonight. He was usually gone two or three hours when he hunted but tonight he had already been gone for almost four, which meant he was off getting laid. Which also meant that Dawn would get whatever she wanted from him, especially with the nice clean apartment.

Spike walked in a couple hours later, too late to really have any fun at the clubs.

"Have fun?" Dawn's voice was flat.

"What's wrong pet?" Spike wasn't sure what was wrong but he knew he had fucked up somehow.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? I cleaned the whole apartment, your room included, and all I wanted to do was go dancing, but now it is too late and why are you so late? Hmm, let me think? Cause you had to go fuck some whore! Who you probably killed afterwards!" Dawn was crying now. "Am I just not pretty enough? Not tough enough? Why don't you want ME Spike??"

Spike rushed to his girl. "Shhh baby, no tears. You are bloody gorgeous pet, you know you are, but you're so young baby, precious girl shouldn't sleep with monsters. Shhh, I do want you Bit, want you too much. Always wanted you Bit." He could do nothing but cradle his precious girl. He wanted her so bad, but it was bad. She was life and joy and bubbly things, he couldn't break her like that. But God did he want to, wanted to cover her with his darkness, with his sin.

"But I love you Spike, I need you. Please Spike." Dawn looked up at him and he thought she had never looked more beautiful. Her eyeliner and mascara was running down her face and her blood-shot eyes seemed even more blue than usual.

He had avoided this moment for two years. They had hopped from town to town and finally over the ocean to England and finally London. They had been here for a year. Dawn had taken correspondence course and already graduated high school, with a little cheating. She had grown up so much since they had left Sunnydale.

"I love you too Bit, you know I do. If we did this that'd be it, you could never leave me Bit, I wouldn't let you. If we did this I'd mark you, make sure everyone knows your mine, only mine. Is that what you really want pet? 'Cause you know I would kill anyone who tried to take you away, including your sister. You really want that? 'm a bastard baby, you know that, and I will hurt you baby, 'm a demon." He knew she knew that. There had been more than a few times since they had left Sunnyhell that she had witnessed his darker, possesive side.

FLASHBACK

Dallas

They were in a club. Dawn was wearing a purple schoolgirl skirt with a black tank top, fish net stockings, and her precious boots. Some college guy was dancing with her. Spike had just fed when he saw them dancing too close. The club was dark or everyone would have noticed when Spike calmly walked up to the couple and grabbed the guy by the throat. Before Dawn could really figure out what was happening all three of them were in the alley and Spike had ripped the guy's throat out. He turned calmly to Dawn and, with his voice cold as ice said, "Don't ever dance like that again."

Later that night back at their apartment Dawn showered the blood from the guy, Derek? Dean? something with a D, off her body and cried. It was her fault Spike was mad, her fault he had killed the poor guy.

Spike apologized. He told her he had been overcome with worry, that he had been impulsive, that it was his nature. She forgave him.

Quebec

Dawn had said she would be back from the store in an hour or so, that was four hours ago. Spike was worried, but couldn't do anything due to the pesky sun outside.

Dawn walked in with the bags from the store.

"WHERE the FUCK have you been?" Spike exploded.

"I just got caught up at the mall Spike." Dawn rolled her eyes.

"I was fucking worried and you roll your fucking eyes at me?" Spike backhanded her then grabbed her by her hair. "Don't you EVER do that again!!"

Dawn's huge doe eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry Spike, I was only at the mall and it was huge. I just lost track of time, I won't do it again!"

"Get in your fucking room and don't even think of coming out for anything but the bathroom!!" Spike's rage rolled off of him like heat.

Dawn complied. Spike left and returned a few hours later smelling of blood, violence, and sex. He crawled into bed with her. He wrapped himself around her. "'m so sorry baby, didn't mean to hit you, I was just worried 'bout you."

"I know Spike, I won't do it again."

When the bruise healed by the next evening they knew she was a slayer. He began training her then and there.

PRESENT

"God Spike, you asshole! Don't you think you're already totally possessive of me! I'm yours, mark or no mark! The last demon bar we were in a bunch of the demons said that I was so covered with your scent that they couldn't smell mine! I get all the draw backs and none of the good stuff Spike!" Dawn was crying harder than before.

Spike kissed the top of her head. She was right. Even though he told her, and himself, that she was free, she wasn't, she had always been his. He laughed harshly, "ya got me there Bit. Go shower then come get in bed, we will talk about this when we get up tomorrow, yeah?"

Dawn got up and went into her bathroom. Spike sat on the floor for a minute thinking. He had hurt her in a way he never thought he could. She was light and love and not meant to love a demon like him. She did love him though, as mush as he loved her. Tomorrow was going to be a very interesting day.


End file.
